January Instagram

 Row 1 - Date Night - Hobbit movie, morning wrestling match, catching snowflakes, Mommy/daughter breakfast

Row 2 - Snow and blue sky, pre-pregnancy jeans (yay!), pretty sunset, Max and play food

Row 3 - Birthday love, overalls, Arctic Circle, Legos over breakfast

Row 4 - Jammies at noon, nutella, 4 months old, sneaking into brother's crib

 

And for your further enjoyment:

 Blowout in the jumperoo. He was a mess ALL the way around. Good thing he's cute!

At the doctor's for his 4 month check up! Everything looked great!

Indoor Fun

 Just as suspected, January has been full of cold weather, bad air, and the sniffles. That equals a lot of time spent inside. Not to mention a baby brother that is still too little to take many places. I decided at the end of December to make an "activity calendar" for Logan and Norah. Our schedule is as follows:

Monday - Playdoh

Tuesday - Craft

Wednesday - Color/Sticker Books

Thursday - Science

Friday - Puzzles and Games

These activities are mainly done around late afternoon. I call it the "bewitching hour" because, frankly, the kids get stir crazy by this time of day and mommy is about to lose it too. Please tell me I'm not the only one out there to experience this. 

Anyway, below are a few pictures documenting some things we've done (when I've remembered to pull out the camera).

 We experimented with ice and snow and figured out how cold it is, ways to make it melt, and how to form it into shapes. The kids had to figure out ways to get the "treasure" out of the ice.

Pouring hot water seemed to do the trick.

Making snow castles

 We made snowmen and learned about shapes.

 And made frog puppets out of foam and pipe cleaners.

So far its been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing more.  

Max at 4 Months

 My Maxwell is 4 months old! Boy, it feels like I'm writing these monthly posts way too close together.

 This has been a fun month watching Max grow. He's growing well at 15 lbs 7 oz and 26 1/2 inches. He's starting to average out in weight (like his brother Logan) but still remains very tall.

This little man is WIGGLY. He loves to kick his legs and flail his arms. I usually find him rotated/scooted around in his crib after his nap.

 His hair is coming in dark. We think it might be the color of Norah's, although he has a nice bald spot in the back when he turns his head back and forth. He loves to see what's going on.

Although a wiggler, he isn't rolling over quite yet. He'll turn over on his side and get stuck. He grabs things like a pro, especially mommy's hair. Everything he grabs goes straight to his mouth.

 He's drooling like crazy but no teeth yet. The pediatrician said he looks great and we can give him solid foods at any time. I have plans to start him very soon.

He's found his two fingers and sucks on them all the time. Always the same fingers, same hand. No binkies for this boy.

Other tidbits are:

-he's getting more into a routine and takes 3 naps a day, sleeps well at night

-had a major blowout in his jumperoo

-still very laid back and likes to observe

-is starting to get more restless, however, in his car seat

-has little bursts of laughter, especially when watching his siblings

-loves his toys, especially his soft bug

-enjoys bath time but is so wiggly he scoots off his seat

 

Happy 4 months buddy. You're the best baby on the planet.

Birthday

Well, another birthday has come and gone. I appreciate my family and friends for making me feel special.

We celebrated with Kneaders for breakfast and Benj taking the day off. It was a nice break in the middle of the week. 

I was able to purchase a new dslr camera and gym membership with my birthday money. I'm so excited for both!

I told Benj next year I want to be somewhere sunny and warm. Hawaii anyone?

Frosty the Snowman

 Logan and Norah both love the snow, but we haven't had any good "packing" snow to make snowmen this year. Well last night we got a good amount and we thought we'd go and try to make one. The snow proved to be powdery, but with a little creativity (and some water) we made Frosty!

 Norah loved him because it was just her size.

 Logan tried to help best he could (we made him out of a pile of snow instead of rolling him). He loved putting the hat, scarf, and face on.

We enjoyed being outside for about an hour and then decided it was time to head into the warm house. Playing in the snow always means hot chocolate is soon to follow.

A New Year

Old photo - snowmobiling in Oakley, UT in Jan 2009

I am perhaps one of the few who don't seem to mind January. Sure, I could do without the inversion, but maybe I should just escape up to the mountains more often (see photo above). 

For me, January means new beginnings and a fresh start. I LOVE making new goals. I wrote in my journal a list of things I'd like to do this year. Many of them are the same in years past, but that doesn't mean I failed at them previously. It simply means I want to continue to progress in them. Sometimes January helps get the ball rolling again.

Many of my goals are not ones I can simply check off a list (although I do like making lists specifically to check things off). If I could make myself perfect by the end of this year, I would totally do it. But that's not going to happen. I'll have a misstep or two . . . or three or four.

 

The point is - I am going to work on making myself better in 2014 than I was in 2013. Perhaps get rid of a few bad habits (ahem, Facebook). Try to develop or increase some of my talents. Not be so hard on myself when I make mistakes. 

Here are few things I'm working on:

-strengthening my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior

-being a better friend

-making my children feel special

-being more positive

-enjoying the "moments" in my daily life as a wife and mother

-letting go of distractions

-creating fun, lasting memories for my family

 

So here's to 2014 and making progress!